


Dawn of Us (Jackson Wang fanfic)

by JhingBautista



Category: GOT7
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-19 16:02:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16537760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JhingBautista/pseuds/JhingBautista
Summary: Behind the glitz and glamour of KPOP, hides the sad truth that idols don't have complete control over their own lives. They share almost everything with their fans and the few quiet and private moments they keep to themselves, some people still try to access and consume.Yue knew it would be her life from the moment she debuts, but she loves music and she loves performing. It's a risk she's willing to take.Love is definitely not on the table. Or so she thought.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This was posted on Wattpad, but I don't know why I don't want to continue writing it there. Don't read the one posted there. I'll be editing that story and will post the edited version here.
> 
> I became an ahgase around October (??) but I already have 6 fics on Twitter. I'm glad I'm writing again. The boys give me so much inspiration.
> 
> Again, I'm not great in English. I'm still learning. I will appreciate the corrections, but please tell them nicely.
> 
> Also, I have about 3 ongoing stories here and one more on Twitter so I might not update as often as you like.
> 
> I have no schedule. I just update whenever I feel like it. :)
> 
> Hope you enjoy reading this and please leave some comments! I want to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

There are a lot of stories of friends who turn into lovers. This is why guys and girls can't be friends and not be asked if they're together at least once.

This is also why Jiang Ying Yue was hesitant at first when her agency's CEO asked her to reconnect with Jackson Wang. She and Jackson used to be neighbors. They were also good friends. But he moved to Korea when an opportunity came. She didn't know she would be taking the same path, the path to being an idol.

People's mindset about a platonic relationship between a guy and a girl is the reason why the CEO specifically asked her that favor. Lee Hyunseok knew that it would spark a rumor and that's just what her group needs.

SCANDOLL will be debuting soon and they need to cause a stir because when a new group is from a small agency, there is a big chance that they will flop. With so many new groups debuting every year, it's just so hard to get people's attention.

Jackson's group just debuted almost two years ago, but they're already so popular. Aside from the fact that his group came from one of the "Big 3" companies in Korea, the group has some really nice songs and the members already have their fans even before they debut.

Mr. Lee promised to let them debut earlier than planned if she managed to do what he was asking of her. They were supposed to debut last year, but there weren't enough funds. Now he's still stalling again because he feels like they won't make it.

Yue didn't want to use people to get to the top, but this could be her last chance. For her group and for her dream, she swallowed her pride, ignored her conscience, and reached out to an old friend.


	2. SCANDOLL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: It is imagined, so the timeline won't be following any real-life events. 
> 
> Disclaimer on the disclaimer: I wrote this when I still wasn't a stan of GOT7. I had to learn about the group because I want to write this (I was a Jackson stan before--solo stan please don't hate me). This was the start of my downfall down the ahgase hole because you know... the more you learn about the boys, the more you love them.
> 
> Anyway, I told myself I'd edit this first but I kinda liked where this was headed before and maybe I'd just tweak a few things here and there.

SCANDOLL successfully debuted and they were well-received because of Yue's renewed friendship with Jackson. Sana, Jiwoo, Hayoon, Minseo, and Chayeon couldn't stop thanking her for the success. The CEO's plan worked. But as the days go by, Yue's finding it harder to keep her guilt at bay.

It's not like she was just forcing herself to like Jackson. She actually likes him and she's happy they're friends again. But her intention wasn't pure from the beginning and she was afraid it will ruin everything in the end.

Jackson helped a lot in promoting her group. The other members have been nothing but nice and supportive.

Before SCANDOLL's debut, GOT7 had a comeback. Naturally, they were invited to Weekly Idol, a program that invites idols as guests so they can promote their albums.

They have this segment where they talk about the members' updated profiles. When it was Jackson's time, he took the chance to mention her group's name. He told the viewers that he's friends with her and they recently just reconnected.

Donnie asked how they became friends.

"We were neighbors in Hong Kong and we were also classmates. We used to go to and from school together. Then I moved to Korea to train under JYP. I haven't spoken to her since then... well, until recently when she reached out to me," he explained.

"Have you seen each other again?" asked Connie.

"If they did, wouldn't there be articles about that?" Donnie butted in. He was right, of course. Given Jackson’s social status, they would naturally get talked about if they meet in public.

"I'm yet to meet with her," Jackson replied. "The group's currently busy with our promotions and I'm sure they're preparing for their debut."

"Right, right," Connie said, nodding his head. "What's her name, by the way? We've been talking about her for more than five minutes and you haven't even mentioned her name yet."

Jackson laughed. "Her name's Jiang Ying Yue. She's the main vocalist... as far as I know."

Connie suddenly gasped. "And maybe the main visual as well!" He pointed to the monitor near the show's producers.

Yue clearly remembered squealing with the other members when they showed her picture on the screen. 

\--

Since then, fans have been commenting and anticipating their debut. All thanks to GOT7.

Their debut wasn't that overwhelming, but it was still a lot better than they expected. People streamed their songs. Not long after, people were already asking for their fandom name.

The members were so excited, they pulled an all-nighter to plan the fandom name and light stick design.

\--

The SCANDOLL members were probably most nervous when they had to perform on stage for the first time. Yue was shaking so bad that day, they all thought she was going to collapse. Fortunately, they had the chance to rehearse before the actual performance. When the music started, Yue stopped thinking and just danced and sang the way she practiced for so many times, inside the company's basement.

It was the most exhilarating feeling.

After all the groups were done performing, they were gathered to the stage for the announcement of that show's winner. They knew they were not going to win so they didn't expect anything. But they were still happy things went well during their first performance.

Jackson congratulated her through text, the following day. Then he asked if they could meet. She replied with an excuse.

\--

The promotion period quickly passed. Yue thought their trainee days were strenuous enough. They've tired themselves with constant exercise and practice. They barely slept. They went on drastic diets. But the life of an idol is never about the glitz and glamour.

It's constant hard work and discipline. You always have to aim for excellence and top what you've already achieved. Fans can be very unforgiving, but once you've connected with them, they will support you all the way.

"Dolly" became their unofficial fandom name and their fans call themselves "dollies", since they applied the doll concept to their debut stage. Their dollies are still few in number, but they constantly send them words of encouragement.

Yue's always trying to show her gratitude and appreciation towards her fans, especially to those who’ve helped her improve her Korean. It was a big challenge to be the main vocalist while being Chinese. Even as a trainee, she had to practice the hardest. Not only did she have to take extra hours of practicing her vocals, but she also had to learn the language she's singing even while resting. She knows conversational Korean now, but her aim was to speak like a native, knowing also the colloquial words, idiomatic expressions, and whatnot.

Usually, China line gets the shittiest line distribution. They'll only get like one or two lines throughout the entire song and probably a whole verse in a whole album if they're lucky.

To kind of lighten the load, Yue incorporates English words in the chorus. She insists in joining the songwriting process, even as a lyricist, so she can have some input in the song.

Some of her suggestions actually made it to the album. For some that didn't, she had to take extra effort to make it work.

It's probably why she looked the most stressed these days. The other members kept on changing their fan café profile pictures, especially Sana, who has about a hundred selcas on her phone, per selca session. Some of her fans asked her to change that Peppa Pig profile picture she's had since her debut, but every time she takes a selca, she immediately notices a flaw. Right now she's struggling with her eye bags.

Yue was about to catch some sleep when her phone rang. Her eyes flew open when she saw who it was.

It's easy to avoid an unwanted call when you're as busy as they are. They can just say they were practicing. That always works. But Chayeon saw the caller ID and loudly pointed it out to the other members.

Everyone gathered around her bed. She gulped.

"Well? Answer it," Jiwoo commanded.

"Yeah. And put him on speaker!" Minseo added excitedly.

They all wanted to meet Jackson, but there was never a chance. Well, there were a few opportunities for a quick catch up, but she's just too ashamed to take it. She didn't want to drag his name in any way.

"Too late. It stopped ringing," she gave them an apologetic smile. But she's relieved he finally dropped the call.

"It's ringing again!" Hayoon exclaimed. She almost threw her phone in surprise.

When her friends realized she has no intention of answering the call, Sana took it from her while Jiwoo and Hayoon held her down.

"Hello? Ah, no. This is Sana," Sana answered giddily. "Eonnie was just brushing her teeth—oh! She's here!"

Sana quickly handed her the phone.

"Uhm... hi," she shyly greeted.

"Oh, hey! I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Jackson asked casually as if the phone call is nothing new. As if she didn't spend a lot of her time dodging his phone calls and then, sending apology texts at questionable hours of the day (or night) just so he wouldn't call right after he read her messages.

"Uh, not really. We were just about to go to sleep," she told him.

"Oh. Bad timing again, huh? I was actually surprised you answered. I thought you'd be asleep by now."

"Uhm... yeah."

Chayeon made a gesture, urging her to open another topic to keep the conversation longer.

"So... why did you call?" she asked.

"Well, we'll be guesting in a variety show and we just want to ask if we can make a dance cover for one of your songs?"

She frowned. She didn't know how to answer that.

"I'm not sure. Maybe you can talk to our manager? I'd give you his number."

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

They both fell silent. The girls looked at her expectantly.

_ He's not talking, _  she mouthed.

Jiwoo glared and mouthed back,  _ so you talk!  _ But she didn't.

Jackson probably felt awkward after that long pause as well because he suddenly said good night. When the phone call ended, the girls went right into reprimanding her.

"What's wrong with you? That's Jackson Wang! Other people would kill to have a phone call with him!"

"I thought he'd take the hint once I stop replying to his messages," she admitted.

"Yue, you were friends before. You're the one who asked to be friends again and now you're shutting him off!"

If they only know the truth, would they be telling her the same thing? It's hard to carry that burden alone, but she didn't want to cause any trouble within the group, especially since they're still rookies.

"I just think I shouldn't bother him because he's busy."

"That's not the point. He helped our group a lot. The least you could do is to thank him in person," Hayoon told her.

"I have not seen him in years. It's awkward."

Minseo shook her head. " _ You _  made it awkward. He's been asking to meet but you're always declining. It's a miracle he hasn't given up on you yet!"

Yue sighed. Somehow, what they said made her feel guiltier.

"Okay. If he asks again, I'll say yes," she promised.

Sana clapped her hand while Chaeyeon wrapped her hands around her arm and said, "Ask him to take the whole group. I want to meet Jinyoung-sunbae!"

Yue forced a smile. Deep down, she was hoping he would never contact her again.


	3. SCANDOLL Meets GOT4

For the weeks that followed, both groups became busier. SCANDOLL members were so busy, Hayoon almost lost her phone because the battery was empty for more than two days. GOT7 started filming their reality show so Yue has not heard from Jackson again.

It's been almost two months since their last conversation and she was almost assured that that's the end of it. Their group's already doing okay on their own so there's no need for added publicity. They're already preparing for their next comeback, something they thought would take at least a year to prepare, but people were already asking for new songs.

And then one day, Jackson sent her a text. GOT7 will be performing in Japan the following week and the other members already went ahead. Only Jinyoung, Jackson, Mark, and Bambam were left behind because of their solo activities.

He asked if they could meet.

Yue let that question sit for one whole day. It wasn't until Sana asked her about it that she remembered.

"How did you even know about that?" she asked, confused. She purposely kept it a secret so the members won't pester her about it.

"Oppa sent me a text," Sana replied. She showed the message from Jackson.

"Why does he have your number?"

Sana shrugged. "Maybe because you don't reply to his messages so he resorted to getting our phone numbers just so he could ask us to tell you to answer him? I honestly have no idea."

Yue squinted. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him we'll be there," Sana answered with a big smile.

\--

Jackson and the other members will be heading to the airport around 4AM for their flight. So they will be meeting over dinner.

Yue was the least excited and the most nervous when the day came. Their group arrived a little later than the planned time and the four members of GOT7 were already giving their orders to the staffs.

Jackson saw them first. He quickly got up to greet them. Instinctively, Yue put her hand on Hayoon's arm, determined to sit where their leader would sit. Hopefully, away from Jackson.

It bothers her so much that she's this nervous and awkward around him, considering how close they were before.

The exchange of greetings caught her off guard though. While they were bowing to their seniors, Hayoon removed her hand from her arm and quickly got seated next to Sana and Chayeon. They took the seats nearest to Jinyoung and Bambam. Sana's a big fan of Jinyoung so naturally, she would take that opportunity.

Meanwhile, Minseo thought it would be fun to push her towards Jackson. Maybe since the two of them are friends, everyone just assumed they'd sit next to each other. Jackson didn't seem to mind. In fact, he looked happy about the arrangement. He immediately started a conversation in Chinese, which no one can butt into.

He asked her how she's been, how she's doing... the sort of stuff old friends ask. Never did he mention the times she didn't respond to his messages or answer her calls. It's like those things never happened.

Yue tried her best to give short answers, not really wanting to send off a message that she's looking for a lasting friendship.

But eventually, after two bottles of beer, she managed to calm herself down and enjoy the conversation. All the fanmade videos about Jackson failed to capture how loud and extroverted he really is in person. Even Jiwoo, who's usually quiet around people she just met, talked more than she's ever talked before.

\--

They spent almost two hours eating dinner, mostly due to the fact that every member of GOT7 are so freaking talkative and their high energy is infectious. Even within the first hour of dinner, Jinyoung has already scolded Sana for calling him "sunbae" too much.

"I'm older than you, aren't I? Call me oppa instead," he told her.

"Are you sure?" Sana asked, eyes gleaming. "Is it really okay?"

Jinyoung nodded. "But you have to give me back massages, buy me food, and be mean to Yugyeom."

Mark, the quiet one, laughed. Jinyoung's a known savage towards Yugyeom. Good thing the poor guy's already in Japan, probably enjoying his last Jinyoung-free day.

After dinner, Hayoon recommended they have a karaoke session before the guys head to the airport. Since the guys plan to just rest after that, they happily agreed.

At that time, she's already at ease with Jackson. He's really nice to everyone. She thought that maybe they could be friends for real, without pretense. Maybe if she keep mum about the real reason why she reached out to him, everything will work just fine.

\--

As expected, they became really loud. So loud that the manager asked them to tone it down. Soundproof had nothing on them.

So they stopped singing for a while, since they're also a little hoarse from all the singing. Jackson suggested Bambam dance to their group's song, the one Jackson asked if they could cover for a guesting, which she later found out can just be done even without their permission. Given that Jackson's an idol for a longer time, he should have known about that.

Bambam immediately stood up in front of the big screen. Hayoon and Sana followed. The moment they played their song, Bambam got into his character, a DOLL.

Sana, their main dancer, found it hard to follow the choreography because she was laughing too hard at Bambam's silliness. When they're nearing the second chorus, Jinyoung joined in, and so did Jackson.

During the bridge, everyone was already dancing except her.

When the song ended, she thought they were going to sit back down. That didn't happen. Fire by 2ne1 played next.

"Come on!" Jackson urged. "You can't not dance to this song!"

She shook her head.

"She doesn't dance when it's not rehearsed," Jiwoo told him.

"Why not?" Jackson pulled her up and did some silly dance in front of her. "Eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh 2NE1. Eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh You gotta ring the alarm. Eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh. We 2NE1. Eh eh eh eh eh eh eh eh. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey," he sang with gusto.

He doesn't have any inhibitions, it's so enjoyable to watch.

"What are you doing? You look stupid!" she said between her laughs.

Jackson whipped his head from side to side and gave her a smoldering look. Then he smiled like a puppy and said, "Try it. It's fun!"

"I'm not drunk enough for that."

Jackson made a face and circled the room while doing some weird moves. In the end, everyone formed a conga line. They pestered her until she gave in and joined them.

\--

"If I'd known we'd enjoy it this much, I would have scheduled lunch instead," Jackson told her. They were mellowed down now. Jinyoung and Minseo's belting out some ballads while Bambam's arguing with Sana who can make Jiwoo and Mark speak more words.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Sorry we arrived late."

"It's okay. At least you came."

"I'm glad we did," she said with a smile.

"So... when's your next come back? I heard you guys have been practicing hard."

She nodded, suddenly remembering that she has not had a decent sleep for days.

"We don't know yet, but hopefully soon."

"Good. You have a lot of good feedback from the general public. You should take the opportunity before another group debuts again."

"The producers are already working on some songs. We already have a title track," she shared.

"You write songs too, right?" he asked.

Yue wrinkled her nose. "Yeah... but I'm really not good at it."

Jiwoo must have heard her because she suddenly said, "Yeah, you are!"

"Ah! She speaks!" Sana exclaimed.

Bambam grunted and hit Mark's shoulder. "Come on, man. Talk!"

Mark remained tight-lipped, which annoyed Bambam even more.

Jackson got her attention back when he spoke again. "I write my songs too. I can teach you stuff, if you want."

"You're already too busy to mentor me."

"I'll make time," he assured her. "It's better if you hone that skill early on. You'll fall in love with music even more."

That's one of her dreams, to be a composer, and then, a producer. Yue wants to write and produce her own music so she could feel the song to the bone when she's singing it. But she knows she has a long, long way to go. No way the CEO would trust her the write the group's next album. But wouldn't that be awesome?

\--

When it was time to go, Jinyoung said they could go with them to the airport, which Sana readily agreed to. She has already listed down the things she wants Jinyoung to bring from Japan. Those two really hit it off right away. Even their height difference and similar facial features made them look like real-life siblings.

"How about you? Do you want anything from Japan?" Jackson asked on their way to the airport.

She wants to ask for something, but there's just too many things on her mind at that moment.

"I don't know what I want though," she admitted.

"She wants a Pikachu mascot," Hayoon told Jackson

Jackson looked at her in disbelief. "Still?!"

She smiled sheepishly. She's such a Pikachu fanatic. She's never liked the game nor the anime, just the cute Pikachu merchandise. There's just something about that thunder-tail, yellow ball of fluff.

"I guess some things don't really change, huh?" 


	4. Pikachu

Yue has liked Pikachu since she was a kid. She's always liked cute and fluffy stuff. Even her first crush was kind of fluffy. Jackson didn't know this, of course. She never told anyone about it.

When they were in third grade, Jackson dressed as a bee for Halloween. Sometime after the event, she saw a picture of Pikachu and it stuck with her. She's liked Pikachu ever since.

Even when she got over her crush for Jackson, her like for Pikachu stayed. It's just funny that he didn't know about it, yet he kept on posting pictures of Pikachu while he was in Japan.

His followers kept on asking why he's posting so many Pikachu on his Instagram. There's a picture of Pikachu stuffed toys inside a crane claw machine. There's a video of Pikachu mascots dancing in front of a crowd. Even coffee froth shaped like the Pokemon character...

The girls kept teasing her about it, but she didn't want to read too much into it.

\--

As everyone around Yue had suggested, she tried writing her own songs again. Instead of resting when not recording or practising, she'd go to a quiet place and write some lyrics. But it's harder than she imagined. It's hard to will yourself to write or make music when your mind and body is tired. Plus, she's so uninspired. She used to write about love a lot, but it always ends up sounding so cheesy.

For weeks, she didn't bother Jackson for help even though he willingly offered to teach her. She's also kind of embarrassed to show him what she did. She showed some verses to Sana and Sana was kind of iffy about them, considering her friend's easily pleased.

"Why don't you ask Jackson-oppa for help?" asked Sana one morning. They just finished their practice. Hayoon's going through their recorded dance practice with Chaeyeon. The other members were taking a shower. She let them go first so she can write some lyrics.

"I don't have anything worth looking at yet," she admitted.

"What about the lines you showed me the other day?"

She shook her head. "You didn't like them."

"I didn't say that!"

"You didn't say anything. That's the problem. Usually when you liked something, you won't stop talking about it."

Sana sat next to her. "Kinda like the time before I met Jinyoung-oppa in person, huh?"

"Yeah. You don't talk about him anymore. Did you stop liking him?"

Sana made a face. "Yeah... he's annoying."

She laughed. "I thought you two were close?"

Sana nodded. "We are! But he's still annoying." Her friend looked at the paper she's holding. "Anyway, let's see what you have here."

She let Sana take the paper. They became quiet for a while. She waited for Sana's reaction. Sana must have sensed it because she gave her a forced smile.

"It's... all right."

"You're a bad liar."

Sana gave her another smile. This one's apologetic. Yue grunted and crumpled the paper. "Never mind. It's hopeless."

"Why did you write a song about depression anyway? Are you depressed?"

She shook her head. "I just want to write something meaningful."

"Why?"

"Because if we can produce a meaningful song, maybe people will give us more attention."

Sana frowned. "But why would you force yourself to write something you don't feel? Aren't songs supposed to be something people can relate too? What's the use of having meaningful lyrics when people can't connect to the song?"

Sana bumped her shoulder with hers. "You should talk to Jackson-oppa."

"I don't want to bother him."

"How many times are you going to say that? He clearly wants you to bother him."

"What was that supposed to mean?"

Sana wiggled her eyebrows. "You know what I mean."

She laughed and slapped Sana's arm. "I told you, we're just friends!"

"You want to bet it's more than that?" Sana challenged her. She shook her head. "Does that mean you think the same?"

"It means I won't take the bait," she said with finality. Sana knew better than to insist.

\--

The road to another comeback continues. Yue's head was already filled with new choreographies, album introductions, and song lyrics. Sometimes, when it becomes too much, she could actually fill her head throbbing from all that information.

Then one day, her body just sort of gave up. Among all the members, she's the one lacking the most sleep. She suddenly fainted while practicing. When she woke up, Hayoon gave her an earful.

"I told you to rest when you can!" their leader snapped. "You know you're the unhealthiest member and yet you still don't take even the least amount of care for your body."

She pouted. "Sorry," was all she could say. Hayoon was on point, as always. Before being a trainee, Yue didn't feel the need to take care of her body. She's never had severe acne. She never gets fat. So she thought she could just glide through life without proper and exercise. But idols have to have endurance and stamina. She's forced to exercise and eat healthily, but she cheats all the time, which drives Hayoon, the health nut, frustrated.

Hayoon's face softened. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better when you stopped yelling."

Hayoon rolled her eyes. She was about to comment on that when her phone suddenly rang.

"I'll go ahead," Hayoon said when she saw who's calling.

She answered the call after Hayoon exited the room.

"Hi," she greeted.

"Sana told me you fainted. Are you okay?"

She glanced at the needle piercing the back of her hand. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"What happened?"

"My body fell asleep against my will," she joked.

Jackson didn't laugh. "You know you should be taking good care of your body, right? You won't survive in this industry if you don't take every chance to sleep."

Yue sighed. "I know, I know."

"How's your songwriting going?"

"Hm... not okay," she admitted. "My mind's too tired to think."

"If nothing good's coming out, then don't force yourself to write. Just rest. You probably can't produce anything because you lack sleep."

"Yeah, I know." She also needs to rest while she can because the shoot for the album jacket is coming up. She can't look tired in the pictures.

"Anyway, I'll let you rest for now," Jackson said. "Call me if you need anything."

"Okay. Thanks."

\--

Yue was forced by everyone to rest. No one allowed her near any pen or paper until the shoot. Then, the comeback date was announced. The GOT7 members helped out with the promotion again, Jackson, Jinyoung, and Yugyeom especially. Good thing those guys have their individual social media accounts so it's easier to reach the fans.

And the ahgases have already dubbed them as GOT7's little sisters. Sana loved and hated the title at the same time because Jinyoung began bullying her in public after that.

Their promotions went smoother than before, but it's hard to win anything when you're against power rookies and seniors who have solid fan bases.

But the whole SCANDOLL was so grateful when the promotion period ended. It means they can finally rest for real, and not just quick naps in between practices.

It also means lots of cheat days ahead. Sana already has plans. She made them with Jinyoung and Bambam. Those three see one another more often than the rest of the two groups. Since Sana and Jinyoung are pretty close, they hang out more often. Sana and Bambam have the same wavelength so Bambam joins them when his personal schedule lets him. Yugyeom sometimes joins too, but he automatically becomes the target of mean jokes and pranks when he does.

She only sees Jackson during group hangouts. They don't hang out if it's just the two of them. It's mainly because she always declines when he invites her out. Everyone's teasing eventually affected her so she stays away as much as possible.

But she still couldn't help but feel upset when the two groups met one time and Jackson wasn't there. Jaebum, GOT7's leader, said Jackson's filming a show in China.

"Someone looks sad," Jiwoo pointed out.

"I'm not sad. I'm hungry."

"Maybe if you start eating, you'll feel better," Minseo told her. She placed a lettuce leaf on her palm and stacked pork, a slice of green chili, bean paste, and kimchi. "We're already on our second plate of pork belly but you haven't eaten anything other than the side dishes yet."

"I was grilling," she explained.

"You miss him already?" asked Bambam, out of the blue.

Everyone turned their attention towards her.

She balled the food on her hand and ate it. Everyone except for Mark continued eating. He's sitting directly in front of her, still waiting for her answer. She motioned for him to look away.

Mark laughed. "You're too obvious," he said, shaking his head.

She swallowed the food and drank some beer. "I'm just annoyed and hungry."

"Why are you annoyed exactly?" Hayoon asked. She and Jaebum are stacking pork belly slices. Hayoon dunks hers in bean paste before putting them on the lettuce wrap.

"Because I'm his friend and I'm the only one who didn't know about his flight." She knew about the show, of course. It's all over social media. Ahgases tag her to their tweets about it. Jackson just didn't say when he was leaving so she was surprised when everyone knew but she had no idea.

"Maybe if you said yes to that brunch before his flight, you'd know."

She pouted.  _ Maybe if he told me he's leaving for China, I would have said yes, _  she wanted to say. But she kept quiet so the others would change the topic.

They were still the noisiest and loudest group in the restaurant, but it's still nothing compared to when Jackson is around. That man's the very definition of extra.

\--

They ended the night with a few hours trip to a famous karaoke stop.

While they were on their way home, and she was already dozing off to sleep inside their van, Sana, who's sitting next to her, suddenly gasped loudly.

"What?" she asked sleepily.

"Nothing. I think it's just one of those rumors."

"What rumor?"

Sana showed her what's on the phone screen. It's a picture of Jackson standing side by side with a popular Chinese actress with the caption speculating if the two are dating. Apparently, they seem pretty close.

Jackson's known in the industry as someone who has a lot of idol friends. He's Mr. Congeniality, having friends in both Korea and China. He might have some American friends as well.

"First, he didn't tell you when he's going to China and now this!" Sana exclaimed.

"I'm not his manager. I'm not supposed to know everything."

"Aren't you upset?"

She rolled her eyes. "Sana, I told you—"

Sana nodded vigorously. "I know, I know. You're  _ just _  friends," she said, air-quoting the word  _ just _  for deeper emphasis.

"He's old enough to date whoever he wants," she mumbled.

"Yeah, I know," Sana said with a nod. "I was just hoping he'd date you."

"Are we still on that?"

Sana grinned sheepishly. "Sorry! I just ship you two!"

"Ugh, Sana."

Sana went back to her phone, still smiling. She fixed her pillow and closed her eyes to continue drifting to sleep.

_ "Oh, he posted another one!" _

She grunted and faced Sana again. "What now?"

Sana was smiling even wider. "Another Pikachu."


End file.
